Lt. Gov. Timothy P. Murray, facing the biggest political decision of his career over whether to run for governor, will meet with about 400 supporters tonight at a fundraiser that could begin laying groundwork for a statewide campaign.

Mr. Murray said yesterday that he has not made a final decision whether to run for governor in 2014, but acknowledged a decision is not too far off.

“Obviously, it's something I am looking at and I will reiterate that” tonight, he said. “I'm going to talk about what we have done, how we have done it working together, what government is about, the purpose of government and the role that it plays.”

He said he will make the case that the administration has the right view of government's role and he wants to continue that, “whether it's for 10 more years, or eight more years or two more years.”

His wife, Tammy, will introduce Mr. Murray at the event at the Beechwood Hotel, with a theme of honoring his 15 years in elected office. Tickets are $125 to $500. Mr. Murray expects to raise $80,000 to $100,000, which would provide a substantial off-election year bump to his campaign account. The account had a balance of $248,000 yesterday.

Many of Mr. Murray's longtime supporters are encouraging him to run, but two said yesterday that it will be a challenging decision for Mr. Murray.

While he has served under a popular governor, Mr. Murray's political image has been dulled by public questions about his high-speed accident on Interstate 190 just over a year ago, and his involvement with disgraced former Chelsea housing director Michael McLaughlin, who is suspected of improper involvement in fundraising for Mr. Murray.

While Mr. Murray has been accused of no wrongdoing, he has drawn criticism for his recommendation to hire Mr. McLaughlin's son for a state job he was unqualified for.

Meanwhile, last weekend Mr. Murray made the network news, being cited as an example of the privacy issues raised by placement of so-called “black box” data recorders in cars.

One longtime supporter and friend, former state Sen. Robert A. Bernstein, recalled that Mr. Murray and his brother Tommy Murray were among the first people to volunteer for Mr. Bernstein's campaign when he made his first run for office in 1992.

Mr. Bernstein said critics have raised doubts about Mr. Murray's chances for governor in 2014, but he believes they are underestimating Mr. Murray.

“They underestimated him and in some cases dismissed him when he wanted to go to lieutenant governor from mayor of Worcester. They were wrong and they are doing it again now, and I think he can prove them wrong again,” Mr. Bernstein said. “Nobody will work harder. Nobody follows through better. And nobody has traveled the state and developed relationships and demonstrated both ability and commitment as he has over the last six years in office.”

Worcester lawyer Michael P. Angelini, a close friend who has worked with the administration first on the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority board and now on the Massport board, said he believes Mr. Murray faces a difficult choice.

Knowing him well, he said, it can be hard to see how others around the state may view Mr. Murray, whom he said has spent more time getting work done than glossing up his image.

Mr. Angelini said the hardest part of the decision may not be whether Mr. Murray can win: “The risk is that Tim thinks about this in terms of what is right for everybody else. I think he should think about what is right for himself and his family right now. . I think he is in a situation where it is very tempting to move up. But he is a young man and I don't think it's an opportunity that is going away.”